Sluice weir



7, 1 K. sci-ION SLUICE WEIR Fil ed Aug. 24, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

INVENTOR KARL 5CH8N ATTORNEY I u n I I I I I n I I K; SCHQN SLUICE WEIRJan. 7, 1936.

' Filed Aug. 24, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

mveilron KARL SCH 0N ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES maest-PATENT OFFICE SLUICE WEIR Karl Schiin, Wurzburg, Germany, assignor tofirm Fried. Krupp Grusonwerk Aktiengesellschaft, Magdeburg-Buckau,Germany Application August 24, 1934, Serial No. 741,244 In GermanyAugust 30, 1933 3 Claims.

, capable of being lifted and lowered in order to control the collectionand discharge of the dammed up water.

The gist of this invention and the advantages obtained will be betterunderstood by first critically reviewing one of the most salientstructural features of up-to-date sluice weirs for damming up water,which consists therein, that sluice 15 gates and the accessorialstructures of the weir proper, its bank work and sill should be sodesigned, that the sluice gate can be wholly or partly lowered from itsnormal operative, i. e. closed position to a lower level'for cleaningpur- 20 poses, namely withthe object of allowing a limited quantity ofthe dammed up water to pass over the immersed top edge of the sluice, in

order to carry off drift ice, brush wood, or other undesirable objectsfloating on the water, which 25 are liable to block the sluice and tochoke its moveable parts. 7 r

As a rule with sluices of this design the said cleaning operation can becarried out with a relatively small quantityof water, which is of im- 30lportance during dry and cold seasons and in the many cases, where thedammed upwater must be economized with all the year round, every dropbeing needed for the turbines of an electric power'station, or forirrigation, navigation and 35 other purposes.

In a prior United States patent of mine No. 1,985,872, I have shownsluices of the roller type,

ofthe sliding and the swinging type, which are 40 cooperativelyassociated witha base plate or carrier of special design, on which thesluice rests while being in its normal operative position, and,

which is tiltably arranged in front of a stepped portion of the sill insuch manner, that bytilting and incidentally withdrawing said base plateunderneath the sluice the latter can be bodily lowered from its normalinto an abnormally low position for the purpose indicated.

Other publications dealing with sluice gate structures, which arecapable of being bodily lowered as a whole from their normal operativeposition to a deeper level, so that the dammed up water will run overthe top edge or crest'of the sluice includeUnited States Patent1,951,704 to. 55, Nordin and German Patent 571,562 to Krupp.

It has also been proposed to build sluice gates of the roller type,which are composed of two water retaining members-an upper and a lowerone-hinged together, of which-while the sluice is in its normaloperative position-the upper member is raised but can be swung aroundits ivots downwardly with the result, that the stowed up water will flowover its top edge.

However sluices of this design, viz. composed of two water retainingmembers, which are 10 known for instance from my United States Patent1,926,819 and from United States Patent 1,922,097 to Kersting, arerather costly to build and are structurally complicated, because theyrequire a separate mechanism for raising and lowering the said hingedupper member alone, and also require another packing member at the hingein addition to that at the base of the sluice.

The primary object of this invention isto provide a sluice of thesliding type and of improved construction, so designed that the totalcosts of erecting, operating and maintaining in proper working order asluice weir of the improved design concerned are considerably reducedwhen 7 compared with sluice weirs of known design.

More especially the-invention aims at so re; designing the sluice andthe structural elements of the weir proper and the bank workcooperatively associated with the sluice, that the latter can be safelyoperated in all climates and all seasons of the year and in flood waysof widely different nature in as much, as the number of moveablepartssuch as pivots, hinges, links, tooth gears, etc., immersed in thewater and being liable to be choked and becoming inoperable through ice,brush wood, sand, mud, etc.--has been brought down to a minimum.

In connection therewith the invention aimslast not leastat so designingthe sluice, that its principal packing member, attached at the base ofthe sluice and resting on the sill, when the sluice is in its normalposition will remain in its place, while the sluice is moved intoanabnormally low position; the objects being to maintain a permanentcontact and a constant tight fit of the principal packing member at thebase of the sluice with the opposed face of the sill, and to prevent theproduction of a gap between the sill and the sluice and the intrusion ofrubble stones, branched pieces of timber, wreckage, ice and likeobstructions thereinto, which would cause leakages and ultimately renderthe sluice inoperable.

Further objects of the invention are to so design the sluice gate andits accessorial parts of the weir structure proper, that relativelysmall and correspondingly cheap hoisting machines need be provided foroperating the sluice, and that said hoisting machines can be erected ata relatively low level substantially flush with the upper parts of thesluice gate, when the latter is raised into its uppermost inoperativeposition, for the purpose of likewise reducing the costs involved inbuilding up those reinforced walls, which enclose the sluice gate atboth sides,i. e. of having to build walls of a minimum height.

Other objects of the invention will become incidentally apparenthereinafter to practitioners in this field.

The nature and scope of this invention are brieflyoutlined in theappended claims and will be more fully understood from the followingspecification taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section takenon line IIII of Fig.2, and showing by way of an example a. sluice weir of improvedconstruction, designed according to this inven tion,

' Fig.2 is a plan view of the sluice weir,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line IIIIII- I IIIII in Fig. l and seen inthe. direction of arrows at, m,

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary side elevations showing sluices designedaccording to this invention, which are of structurally modifiedcross-sectional shape,

Figs. 6 and '7 are diagrammatic side elevations of sluices, havingactuating arms, which are diii erently arranged relatively to the headand tail water level,

Fig. 8 is a plan, partly in section, of the sluice shown in Fig. '7.

With the objects in view outlined above the sluice weir designedaccording to this invention comprises the following structures:

1. Reinforced upright walls W, W2 and a. sill S having a substantiallyhorizontal upper face, which'enclose the ficodway at both sides and atthe bottom,

2. A sluice G, adapted to slidingly descend in a substantially verticalpath of movement from its upper inoperative position, shown in Fig. 1 in"dot and dash lines, into its. normal operative position shown in fulllines, so as to rest on the sill S, and being formed at its base with aknife edge bearing downwardly projecting at D from the body of thesluice and being fitted with a packing ledge P3; said knife edge bearingallows of tilting the sluice through a relatively large angle into anabnormally low position, shown in dashlines in Figs. 1, 4-6.

3. Operating means for raising, lowering and tilting-said sluice G inthe manner indicated,

4. Guiding means for controlling the movements of said sluice gate and5. Packing means cooperatively associating said sluice gate G, walls W,W2 and sill S.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figsl-S the sluice gate G isof almond or fishlike cross sectional shape and is formed at both endswith heads I0, I2 (Fig. 2, 3) projecting into grooves or recesses, whichsubstantially vertically'extend; in said walls W,'W2.

The afore-said means for raising, lowering and tilting the sluice gate Gcomprise:

A couple of hoisting machines M mounted on the walls W, W2, eachof whichhaving a sprocket wheel 2!) attached to its main power shaft, ac-'tuating arms A, A2 fixed to the sluice gate G and rearwardly projectingtherefrom towards tail water L, and pitched link chains C interengagingby means of sprocket wheels 22, 24 said actuating arms A, A2 and thecorresponding sprocket Wheels 20 of the hoisting machines in the mannerof chain and sheave multiplying gears.

It should be noted, that by reason of this expedient for raising andlowering the sluice relatively small hoisting machines are needed, thelifting power of which must be calculated only for a small fraction ofthe total weight of the sluice gate.

The guiding means referred to above for controlling the movements of thesluice gate G comprise two sets of guide tracks T, T2, fixed within saidrecesses of the walls W, W2 in opposed position to each other andrunning uprightly from the sill S, and two pairs or sets of guiderollers R, R2 mounted on said heads ID, l2 of the sluice gate G atdifferent levels for cooperation with said,

guide tracks; it should be noted that the upper end if of the trackmember T is slightly bent rearwardly viz. for the purpose of impartingto the sluice gate G and its actuating arms A, A2 on approaching theiruppermost position a slight turn in clockwise direction, (Fig. 1), theultimate object being to reduce by this expedient the total height ofthe walls W, W2, on top of which the hoisting machines M, M2 aremounted.

Guide rollers R2 of ample size may be conveniently used for the lowerset, larger than those of the upper set R.

The aforesaid packing means of the sluice comprise a couple ofrelatively thin shields P, P2 arranged at the ends of the sluice gate Gand having packing ledges 6, c2 of elastic material such as wood, Indiarubber etc. attached for engagement with the walls W, W2, and a packingledge P3 fixed to a dam shield D, which is provided at the base of thesluice gate G for engagement with the sill S; said ledge P3 presents thetrue pivot around which the sluice gate G swings on being tilted; by thehydrostatic pressure of the water dammed up at the head water level Hthe packing ledges of said shields P, P2 are forced against the walls W,W2, whereby watertight closures are obtained.

I prefer to arrange the packing ledge P3 in such position relatively tothe guide rollers R2 of the lower set, that the virtual axis aroundwhich said rollers rotate substantially coincides with the line ofcontact along which the packing ledge P3 engagesthe sill S, and to formthe latter with an offset or stepped portion S2 facing tail water L forthe purpose of getting rid of undesirable objects, which may otherwiseaccumulate underneath the sluice, viz. allowing said objects to bewashed away and to drop over the edge of said step S2.

Recesses N, N2 may be provided to advantage in the walls W, W2 foraccommodating said actuating arms A, A2 and stops or supports N3, onwhich said arms rest, when the sluice is in its lowest tilted position.

Various other changes and modifications may be conveniently made in thestructural details of sl ice weirs having gates of the improved designdescribed hereinbefore, without substantially departing from the spiritand the salient ideas of this invention:

The sluice gate proper-instead of having an,

attached, as seen in Fig. 4,-or may be constructed, as shown in Fig. 5,on the order of a sluice gate of the common sliding type comprising' asubstantially flat front plate G5, braced by frame work and beingprovided with a dam shield D5, upwardly extending from said plate G ininclined position, and a lower dam shield D6, extending downwardly andhaving attached to it a packing ledge Pl.

Instead of arranging the actuating arms, designated A, A2, A4, A5 inFigs. 1-5, at the rear side of the sluice gate, facing tail water L,said arms designated A6, A1 in Figs. 6 and 7 may be conveniently fixedat the front side of the sluice gates G6, G1, so as to project therefromtowards head water H.

As seen in Fig. 8 the actuating arms A8 of the sluice G8 may be whollyenclosed to advantage within recesses N8 provided in the walls W8, so asto be positively out of contact with any undesirable objects floating cnthe head water level,

i by which said arms and the lifting gear attached thereto may bedamaged or choked.

What I claim is:-

1. In a sluice weir the combination with a sluice of the type adapted toslidingly descend in a substantially vertical path of movement into itsoperative position, of upright walls laterally enclosing the sluice, aknife edge bearing formed at the base of the sluice and allowing thelatter to be tilted, while resting on said bearing, through a relativelylarge angle, actuating arms formed at the body of the sluice andprojecting therefrom at substantially right angles, and guiding andoperating means cooperatively interengaging the ends of the sluice andof the said actuating arms.

2. In a sluice weir the combination with a sluice of the type adapted toslidingly descend in a substantially vertical path of movement into itsoperative position, of upright walls enclosing the sluice, a knife edgebearing formed at thebase of the sluice and allowing the latter to betilted, while resting on said bearing, through a relatively large angle,actuating arms formed at the body of the sluice and projecting therefromat substantially right angles, and guiding and operating meanscooperatively interengaging the ends of the sluice and the saidactuating arms, said guiding means comprising a primary set of two guiderollers mounted at the lateral ends of the sluice in symmetric positionto each other, the central axis interconnecting said rollers sub- 5stantially coinciding with the virtual line of contact of said knifeedge bearing, while the sluice is in its operative position, a secondaryset of guide rollers mounted at the sluice at a higher level than thoseof the primary set, a recess 10 formed in each of said walls anduprightly extending therein, and two guide tracks formed within each ofsaid recesses in opposed position to each other for engagement andcooperation with said guide rollers, so as to support the latter, whilethe sluice ascends and descends.

3. In a sluice weir the combination with a sluice of the type adapted toslidingly descend in a substantially vertical path of movement into itsoperative position, of upright walls enclosing the sluice, a knife edgebearing formed at the base of the sluice and allowing the latter to betilted, while resting on said bearing, through a relatively large angle,actuating arms formed at the body of the sluice and projecting therefromat substantially right angles, and guiding and operating meanscooperatively interengaging the ends of the sluice and the saidactuating arms, said guiding means comprising a primary set of two guiderollers mounted at the lateral ends of the sluice in symmetric positionto each other, the central axis interconnecting said rollerssubstantially coinciding with the virtual line of contact of said knifeedge bearing, while the sluice is in its operative position, a secondaryset of guide 5 rollers mounted at the sluice at a higher level.

than those of the primary set, a recess formed .in each of said wallsand uprightly extending therein, and two guide tracks formed within eachof said recesses in opposed position to each other for engagement andcooperation with said guide rollers, so as to support the latter, whilethe sluice ascends and descends, the guide track members adjacent headwater being rearwardly bent at their upper ends in the direction of tailwater and terminating at a higher level than the opposed guide tracks.

KARL scHbN.

